Dispatch from China: Summer Palace

Written by Andy

On my last saturday in BJ I went on a tour with Cindy. Cindy is a friend of my host Andrew. She grew up in Haerbin but has lived in BJ for some time. She actually never had been to the Summer Palace before so I thought where better to visit. I have to say, traveling with a native speaker is much easier than not. After the palace she took me to the hutongs in the Dongcheng section of town.

Lily pads in Lake Kumming

my generous host, Cindy, being surprised by a photo. I said I'd delete it, whoops :)

The summer palace and lake kumming

Lake kumming. the summer palace photo before this is taken to the right of this shot.

Lily pads in bloom

The island in the middle of lake kumming.

The long corridor.
read about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Corridor

The famed marble boat.
read about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Boat

I forget the history and name of this bridge. I just sort of like how it had this massive arch in it.

summer palace from the other side of kumming lake.

Our rickshaw driver in the Dongcheng hutongs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutong

tight fit

a very old building in the Dongcheng hutong.

The more commercialized hutong streets. They've turned the streets into trendy restaurant, bars and clothing stores. Also, they have tones of chinese "crap" stores. these are the stores that sell random cheaply made Chinese souvenir and junk stuff.

Beijings Drum tower

Beijings bell tower.

Dispatch From China: Trans-Mongolian Railway

Written by Andyfatherfolk

Andy blogs at http://herenow-nowhere.blogspot.com/

Though I wasn't fortunate enough to make it into Beijing via Moscow on the Trans-Siberian route, I was able to take the train from UB to BJ on the Trans-Mongolian line. I had read about how it was a social train and it sounded like many other like minded travelers would be on it and endless fun would ensue. You may have already guessed this, but this was not the case. Passengers mainly stayed in their rooms and the cafe car that I had read was a hotbed of social interaction was actually a restaurant car where people got food but did not really communicate. I did meet a few other travelers who had had similar thoughts and were surprised at the sterile like environment of the train.

Dispatch from China: The Wall

Written by Andyfatherfolk

Andy blogs at http://herenow-nowhere.blogspot.com/

A week or so I got the opportunity to hike along the great wall. I met up with 4 other couchsurfers, we arranged the driver through the website and met up early in the morning to hit the wall. We did the Jinshanling section all the way through to Simatai. Simatai is currently undergoing construction and we did try to hike a bit but it got dodgy and not everyone was up for the challenge.

We were told it was an 8km walk in whole. The reason we chose this part of the tour was because we were told it was less touristy. This was beneficial in some ways and not so in others. What was nice was that the wall was essentially empty, except for other foreigners. What sort of was not so great is that there was no slide down. Apparently some portions have bungee jumps of sorts and big slides to go down. To me, that sounds pretty fun. But I'm not complaining, we got a good walk in and had a fun time. I didn't end up taking too many photos as they all sort of end up looking the same.

Dispatch from Japan: Climbing Mount Fuji

Written by Andrew Rosenstock

Before leaving Tokyo I was fortunate to find a group on couchsurfing.com that was climbing up to Mt Fuji overnight to catch the sunrise. There was about 50 of us in total, some of us from the organizer of the trips company and the rest were couchsurfers. One of the things that was really nice about going up with a group is the sense of community that we had from the beginning. I originally thought about going this alone and am so grateful that I had the people I had to summit with.

Horrible Parents - The Booger Hookah

crosspost from The Soy Bean

written by Casey

I’m of two minds at the moment.  When I first conceived this post a week or so ago it was intended to be light-hearted.  Now that I have finally taken, uploaded, and viewed the pictures, I feel slightly horrible about what my wife (I’m just the photographer) has been putting our son through.

Ray has had a perpetual hacking cough/endlessly snot-oozing nose since about a week after he started going to daycare.  He doesn’t seem put out in the least about coughing hysterically and spontaneously ejecting copious amounts of snot from both nostrils.  I suppose anticipating this turn of events months ago, my wife was moved to make a preemptive purchase.

Despite decades of simple yet effective use provided by the squeezable booger bulb that everyone, whether you have a child or not, can easily identify, someone in Japan thought they could improve upon the idea by making a booger removal system more complicated, more difficult to use, and most of all far more traumatic for the child. At least it’s cute.  I give you the booger hookah:

The Story of a Shitter

Cross posted from A Boy, A Man, and a Father
written by Judgebrix

One of your less cool and interesting experiences through life, and its weird little u-turns, is visiting the worldwide facility for assisting you with number 1 and 2 – The Cubicle Toilet adventure.  Cubicles have been around for centuries and they are one of the less amazing inventions left by the ancient Roman and Greek civilizations.  I’m sure every great ancient civilisation across the Globe have had their take on cubicle toilets – and neither of them has managed to make this a glamorous event.  Sitting next to somebody pooping, while talking, is not my idea of a friendly conversation.  It’s beyond me, but some public toilets in ancient Rome were designed as a giant bench of stone, with holes that was used by the public.

Black Widows

courtesy Steve Ryan

When my husband and I decided that our future did not lie in Cincinnati, we debated between moving to Vermont and Asheville. There was no other part of North Carolina where I would have agreed to live, but would have settled nearly anywhere in the great state of Vermont. We took into account several factors, not least among them the cost of living. Both places are beautiful and provide plenty of things to do both indoors and out. Both places have good food and strong local economies. In the end, it came down to a coin toss and Asheville won. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have a lovely home somewhere near Burlington right now.

Here's the big thing I hadn't considered - black widow spiders. I had no idea we had them here. Not only are they here in this state, but they're here IN MY YARD. To give you an idea of how seriously I take these things, I'm scared of daddy longlegs and those things are pathetically easy to avoid in life. I had a vacuuming incident involving a spider not long ago that scared me so bad I cried and came frighteningly close to peeing in my pants. When I saw my first black widow a few weeks ago, the first thing that came to mind was not "Hey look, a big cute black spider!" It was "MOVE TO ALASKA."

Dispatch from China: Hot and Sour Soup

Written by AndyFatherfolk

When I move to new area one thing I always look for is a chinese food place that has two items in a style I like. It's very important that I can get these comfort foods quick and easy. The first, an americanized dish which is far from healthy but super tasty, (depending on the style) egg foo young. It's a dish I used to order frequently from Dragon Chef, the low brow take away chinese food spot in my hometown of Needham, MA. The second dish is hot and sour soup. I love chinese style hot and sour soup but as anyone who's ordered a lot of hot and sour soups can tell you, there are many different styles and versions of this soup. Some too spicy, some too vinegary, some with too much msg and some that just plain suck.

When I lived in NYC, my budget survived on eating a lot of either wonton or hot and sour soup for dinners. for $2.50 I could buy a quart of either soup and it had flavor and nutrition. (moderately) Hot and sour soup will have lots of veggies, mushrooms, tofu and sometimes a meat or two. So there was protein and vitamins mixed in with other oddities that only chinese cooking can bring.

Dispatch From China: Bringing Home the Bacon

Written By Andyfatherfolk

Andy blogs at http://herenow-nowhere.blogspot.com/

My first week in Beijing found me staying at Andrew's apt. Andrew is a friend of Greg, and Greg worked with Jocelyn in Mongolia where I met him (and drove a tank with him).
One day while talking about food Andrew told me how easy bacon was to make, so we decided to make some.

Semper-Fi, Last Boy Scout

Cross posted from A Boy, A Man, and a Father

written by Judgebrix

At 8 years old you are at an age where you have to learn the hard way. I don’t mean that you have to get bruised, but that some experiences can only be taught by actually trying them.

Basically, every boy have to attempt certain Dirty Sanchez /Jackass stunts, just to prove that they are older and braver than the rest … or perhaps just brainless.

What am I talking about?  I’m talking about joining the boy scouts.

What Is Going On In This Photo?

Pictured in this photo we have a baby squirrel being held by a coworker of mine. Let me set the record straight by saying that pet squirrels are not common here in Asheville, despite the fact that it's a mountain town and mountain folk do some strange things. Nor is my hospital a squirrel hospital. Squirrel hospitals are exceedingly rare in America because squirrel vet programs have exceedingly high admission standards and because squirrels bite hard and often.

The Great Walrus Migration

You can only imagine my alarm when I turned on NPR and saw this story about "tens of thousands" of walruses moving inland toward populated areas because of climate change. The guy posing as a Walrus in this photo is Anthony Fischbach, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "I'm surprised by one thing," he says. "Essentially all the animals here are adult females. You'd expect to see about one in three with newborn yearling calves." Apparently, either there is some sort of catastrophic changes in the Walrus population due to global warming or there is the Walrus version of an Indigo Girls concert.

More from the NRP story:

Fischbach has been attaching satellite radio tags on the walruses to try to figure out how the animals are coping.

The tag, which he deploys with a crossbow, is a hockey puck-sized transmitter that embeds into the thick walrus skin. Back in his Anchorage office, Fischbach can download hourly updates on the animals, which he calls "walrus diaries."

"It's a simple diary: I rested; I got in the water; I fed. And then it all gets repeated in various combinations," he says.

Wait wait. Lets unpack this a little bit at a time. First of all, this guys name is pronounced fishback. Unresolved issues? Second, he shoots them with a cross bow? That's kind of awesome. Finally, he writes a walrus diary. In a walrus voice. Coo-coo-ca-choo.

Dispatch from Japan: Making Udon

Written By Andrew Rosenstock

I think it was my third or maybe fourth night while staying with Kazuko-san but she told us we'd be making udon that night. As a fan of noodles in general, I was very stoked. Starting with just flower and water we built up the base of what would become a delicious and exciting meal. It started with just Wanda (the other wwoofer here) and me listening to Kazuko-san explaining to us what the process was. A littler later Ishekawa (no idea if that's how his name is spelled or even pronounced, so apologies for that) came by. He is one of Kazuko-san's student volunteer assistants.

Dispatch from Japan: Daiyo Wasabi Farm

On my last full day with Kazuko-san we got to go to Daio Wasabi Farms, Japans largest wasabi farm. I had heard of this place from my mom who sent me an email about the farm when she found out that I'd be in Matsumoto, Japan. As soon as I had read about it, i wanted to go. I was beyond ecstatic when Kazuko-san said we'd be going. I was like a kid going to a candy farm. spicy green candy :)

Guess What I found Inside Your Pet: Momma and Poppa Blue

Welcome to this edition of "Guess What I Found Inside Your Pet!" This story dates back a few years, from my last job. Most of my good stories come from there, because it was as dysfunctional of a place as you could hope to find.

Early one day at work, we got some transfer paperwork from the local emergency hospital, informing us that we'd be getting Blue, a doberman pinscher (guess what color!) who had eaten pantyhose three days prior to his visit to the emergency clinic. Blue's owners knew about his dietary indiscretion but for some reason ignored it. Why anyone would think that pantyhose are digestible is beyond me, but as I perused their transfer paperwork I gained a clearer image of these particular clients. The woman was a beauty pageant veteran. I'm not saying beauty queens are dumb, I'm saying this lady got by on her looks and not much else. How did I come to this conclusion based solely on one piece of paper? I'll tell you how. Where it said "Employer:______," Momma Blue wrote "Husband (tee hee!)." I rest my case.

Snakehead Invasion

Bad news fatherfolkers. There is an actual thing called a Snakehead fish, and it is here. Maybe even in your home.

Snakehead Fact: Snakehead fish can grow to be up to 40 motherfucking pounds. To give you something to compare that to, imagine a fish with a horrifying snakehead, weighing as much as Gary Coleman. Now imagine me crying uncontrollably.

The Snakehead (Channa Micropeltis Motherfuckis), is native of South East Asia. It first arrived in the United States in order to play half of a buddy cop duo for the film "Rush Hour 4" playing opposite Owen, or Luke Wilson. The Snakehead ate the Wilson, the one with the weird nose, not the squinty one, and escaped into a river. Scientists now say that Snakeheads are reproducing in the wild. Do you get that? Not only are these things swimming around in the lakes and rivers, they are also fucking in our water supply.

These bastards breath air. With primitive lungs. AIR. That means they could literally walk to your house at night, climb the stairs to your bedroom, and eat you. Here are several useful questions from the Haggis-on Whey book, Animals of the Ocean that will help to determine if you are in fact being eaten by a Snakehead fish or another sea creature:

1. Are any of my limbs missing?
2. Is a beak like mouth eviscerating my organs?
3. Am I lightheaded and also drinking my own blood?
4. Am I inside an animals stomach?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions you are likely being eaten.

According to Bill Cochran of the Roanoke Times, Maryland has offered a bounty for dead Snakeheads. $10 for snakeheads under 12 inches; $25 for snakeheads 13-24 inches; $50 for snakeheads over 24 inches.

Dispatches from China: In Which Andy Confronts a Giant Penis

I went out for an overnight trip to Kharkhorin with Batbold, a co-worker of Jocelyn's. Kharkhorin is about a 5-6 hours drive west of UB, and the roads are predominately paved (something you can't say for most of the countries roads.) Kharkhorin was once the capital of the country and also hosts Erdene Zuu. Erdene Zuu used to be a great temple before the communists destroyed it and religion in the country. They are rebuilding it currently, and many monks have started studying there again. Because of the communists destruction most is gone and and Erdene Zuu is a museum but in the shell of what it once was.

The crew was me, Batbold, his wife and his adorable 2 year old. His son took a little getting used to me, but soon enough was calling me "ackhar" which means something like big brother. 

Dispatch from China: Eating Scorpions

Written By Andyfatherfolk

well, quickly on in Beijing I got to complete another bucket list check box, eating scorpions. I was told there would be two kinds and one was good, the other not so much but i forgot which was which. So, naturally, i went for both types. The big black ones are really not that tasty. more of a crunch but not much flavoring. The little ones (which move very fast before being flash fried) are actually tasty, though it may just be the added salt. Where as the big ones were a crunch exoskeleton and not much meat, the little ones seemed to have more meat in them at least in a ratio per size. I know other people have eaten this item and lived, but there is something a bit scary about biting into an animal known for killing humans with one touch.

Ringworm - You Can't Eat It.

I got a call from a client one day that went something like this:

Caller: "My cat threw up a ringworm and I need to know which dewormer to get to treat it."

Me: "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

Caller, sounding irritated already: "My CAT threw up a RINGWORM, and I need to know which dewormer to get to treat it."

Me: "Okay, I doubt it was ringworm. Did it look like spaghetti or rice?" This question was my way of clarifying between two of the most common types of intestinal parasites in cats, roundworms and tapeworms.

Caller: "Neither. It was a ringworm."

Me: "Okay, but ringworm is a fungus, not actually a worm, so I really don't think your cat could have thrown up a ringworm. So, did it look more like a spaghetti noodle or a grain of rice?"

Caller: "Well, it looked like a ringworm. If I had to guess, I'd say a noodle."

Me: "Okay, that sounds like it might be a roundworm. Could you bring us a stool sample to check and we can tell you for sure and give you the right dewormer?"

Caller: "I saved the worm. After she threw it up she sat in the corner looking down at it and put her paw on it, but I was able to get it away from her and put it in a bag. I'll just bring that to you and you can see for yourself." At this point, she was still convinced I'd realize how wrong I was.

Me: "Oh wow, that would be great! We wouldn't even have to charge you to check it in that case, we can just dispense the dewormer once we see which type it is."

The client brought in her worm. It was a long dead millipede, curled into a ring and somewhat flattened by the cat having stepped on it. There is no dewormer for millipedes. Or for ringworm, for that matter, because to this day it's still classified as a fungus.

Dispatches From Mongolia: A week away at Lake Khovsgol (part 3)

I went away for a week to visit Lake Khovsgol, located in the north western part of Mongolia. I've decided to break this week into three parts so as not to bore my readers with too many pictures

Of course I saved the best for last. In part three our amazing group of travelers stay at a ger camp next to three friendly UB police officers. They help me fulflil my Mongolian dream of killing a sheep the traditional Mongolian way (cutting it's belly and reaching in to snip the aorta) and then cooking it the traditional way of Khorkhog. Khorkhog is when you cook the meat with hot stones. Originally this was done inside of the animal but this is tough to do, especially with the time and utensils we had. Instead the cops helped us cook it over fire with stones inside. It was amazingly tasty. Also, this was my first animal kill. I was very worried about what would happen to me mentally and emotionally. Would I cry like a baby? Would I never want to eat meat again? Would I enjoy it? Would I paint my face with the sheep's blood?